CHICAGO (July 13, 2026) — The Illinois Tollway begins meetings today around the northern part of the state about impending tollway hikes. If approved, drivers would face passenger toll hikes of about 45 cents, a 30% hike in commercial tolls and automatic toll increases every two years indefinitely.

The Illinois Policy Institute estimates a typical driver who passes through two tolls each workday would pay $225 more a year. With the automatic increases taking effect, tolls would more than triple by 2055, despite the board needing to vote only once to authorize the automatic increases, the institute also found.

The proposed toll hikes would fund a $26.5 billion capital plan, which is being advanced by a tollway board appointed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Although the plan is expected to take only 15 years to finish, the automatic toll increases would continue long after its completion. The new plan comes as the tollway reported its highest net revenue on record in 2025.

What to know about Illinois’ tolls:

• The Illinois Tollway reported its highest revenue and net revenue on record in 2025, continuing to collect more toll revenue than needed for operations and maintenance.
• When lawmakers created the Illinois Tollway in 1953, they promised the state it would be “Toll free by ’73.” Instead, drivers paid nearly $26.8 billion in Illinois tolls from then through 2024.
• Increased commercial tolls would raise transportation costs that could affect the price of goods transported throughout Northern Illinois.
• Illinois drivers already face the fifth-highest toll burden in the nation, and the proposal could increase that.

“This tollway hike borrows directly from Pritzker’s gas tax playbook, adding automatic increases that will never expire so our public officials can avoid accountability for voting to raise the cost of travel,” said Patrick Andriesen, senior writer for the Illinois Policy Institute. “Illinois families and businesses will continue paying more expensive tolls long after the projects funded by this proposal are completed and the unelected board members have been replaced.”

The Illinois Tollway will hold community meetings from July 13 through July 24 in counties across Northern Illinois. The board could vote as soon as Aug. 19 to pass the hike.

To read more about the proposed toll increases, visit illin.is/tollhike.

For bookings or interviews, contact media@illinoispolicy.org or (312) 607-4977.